Apple May Have Acquired Virtual Reality Startup 'Spaces'

Apple has purchased VR startup Spaces, according to a report from Protocol. Spaces last week announced on its website that it was shutting down its existing product.

The update said that it was "heading in a new direction," with no additional information provided. Protocol has been told that Apple purchased the startup, but neither Apple nor Spaces confirmed the acquisition. From the website:

Thank you to our users and partners who participated in our awesome VR video conferencing product and the many people who enjoyed our VR location-based entertainment attractions found at theme parks, theaters, and more.

Spaces, which was originally part of DreamWorks Animation, created VR experiences that could be found in Spaces locations in malls and other places across the United States. One of the VR experiences was "Terminator Salvation: Fight for the Future."

Due to the pandemic, Spaces had to shut down all of its physical VR centers, laying off many staff members. Spaces then created VR experiences for video conferencing solutions like Zoom, letting Zoom users join meetings with animated avatars.

There have been rumors indicating that Apple is working on augmented and virtual reality projects for some time, including an augmented reality headset, but it's not clear what the Spaces team will work on at Apple nor how the technology might be incorporated into Apple products in the future.